UTMB Workgroup on Social Media Strategy & Evolution

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Social media audit paves way for refresh of UTMB’s program

Late last year, we worked with a team from Audit Services on a comprehensive review of our institutional social media program, looking for best practices, gaps, opportunities. The report was shared with executive leadership and many key stakeholders, and since then we’ve been moving ahead with development and implementation. The project shares many similarities and in many places intersects with our transformative “Web Reboot” project.

There were are a few common themes in our audit recommendations, largely centered on formalization of the program, providing additional oversight, creating more standards and policies governing use, and offering more training and additional monitoring. Here’s what it said:

1) The Office of Marketing and Communications, working with the Office of Information Security (OIA), should conduct a risk assessment of institutionally branded social media sites. This assessment process should include identifying and evaluating associated risks and developing an action plan to mitigate those risks. (This has been completed.)

2) Using the DIR Social Media Resource Guide core elements as guidance, the Office of Marketing and Communications should develop a formal strategy for UTMB Health’s social media program. Once the formal strategy is developed, the social media policy should be aligned and revised accordingly. (You can review a draft of the plan now.

3) The Office of Marketing and Communications should develop formal guidelines and best practices to support social media strategy and policy including, but not limited to, terms of use, legal disclaimers, program ownership, monitoring, site/account approval and administration, and site administrator training. (See current policy and disclaimer)

4) The Office of Marketing and Communications should require that institutionally branded social media sites be formally registered with UTMB Health. (Visit our site inventory tool, part of the Web Reboot project.)

5) The Office of Marketing and Communications should develop a formal strategy for monitoring social media to protect the institutional brand from negative publicity or adverse reputational issues. (We are monitoring, and are working to formalize and enhance the program to better serve our many UTMB customers. This is a major area of focus for us.)

6) The Office of Marketing and Communications should develop targeted training for individuals responsible for administering institutionally branded social media sites that detail proper procedures for managing these sites. Consideration should be given to this training being a prerequisite for site/account approval. (While the training programs are developed, we’ve been meeting with interested groups or individuals as requested. Contact us below for more information.)